Fed: Aust planes back Aust troops for first time since Vietnam
CANBERRA, April 12 AAP - Australian RAAF planes shadowed Australian ground troops onactive operations in Iraq for the first time since the Vietnam War, the Australian DefenceForce (ADF) said today.
Defence Force chief Peter Cosgrove said special forces troops usually had fighter bomberplanes available for support somewhere nearby when they were on the ground in Iraq.
"It just turns out that our aircraft were in a position to fulfill that stand-by position,"
he told reporters at the regular ADF Iraq briefing.
ADF spokesman Mike Hannan said the F/A-18 Hornets were the first Australian planesto provide close air support for Australian troops in a war zone since the Vietnam War.
"They were not required to drop any ordinance on this mission, but they were on callto our special forces while they conducted their latest operation," Brigadier Hannan said.
"This is the first time since the Vietnam War that Royal Australian Air Force aircraft,in those days flying Canberra bombers, have flown close air support missions in supportof Australian ground troops in a war zone."
Australia's Defence chief General Cosgrove refused to give any details of the operation.
AAP kmh/cdh
KEYWORD: IRAQ AUST ADF
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